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2018 Midterm2
(assignment) Sample Student Midterm2 Answers Part 1: Essays on Immigrants, Minorities, and New World Immigrants |
LITR 4340
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Anne
Ngo
29
March 2018
Blurring
the Boundaries
In American literature, the idea of the American Dream is prevalent in
many of its texts. The story of individuals coming to a new country in hopes of
creating a better life marks the beginning of an American Dream. Often times, in
order to achieve their American dream, many immigrants assimilate to the
dominant culture, losing the traditions and culture from their home country.
Assimilation marks the difference between the experiences of immigrants and
minorities: immigrants narratives tend to show signs of assimilation to the
American culture, while minority narratives show resistance towards it. In the 4th
wave of immigrants, seeking opportunity and a better life is a factor to
voluntarily move and live in a new country (Waves of Immigration: Course Home
Page).
On
the contrary, in the past, minorities were involuntarily moved to America,
facing discrimination and not having the opportunity to work for themselves.
Because of the discrimination and oppression that minority groups face, they are
more resistant to the dominant culture. Minority groups find that when they
assimilate to the dominant culture, they do not become “a part of successful
America,” rather, they “remain impoverished and marginalized” (Chomsky). In
immigrant narratives, clothing, beauty features, and houses are symbols of
assimilation, diverging from what is seen in minority narratives.
However, despite the differences in assimilation or resistance, immigrant and
minority narratives find similar ways to cope with living in the dominant
American culture. We see this through the acculturation of both immigrants and
minorities. We also see the blur of lines between immigrant and minority
narratives in the narratives of New World immigrants, showing signs of both
assimilation and the preservation of cultural and ethnic identity respectively.
The narratives of New World immigrants may depict symbols of houses,
representing the assimilation towards the dominant American society; but New
World narratives also show signs of preservations of their cultural roots. Thus,
by examining the differences of immigrant and minority narratives through
symbols of assimilation, similarities arise. And through the narratives of New
World immigrants, we see the bridge between immigrant narratives and minority
narratives. By understanding the differences of these narratives, we can also
understand that our experiences may be similar despite the boundaries.
In immigrant narratives, symbols of beauty from the dominant culture and
their desires for it often indicates the assimilation to the dominant American
culture. In the case of Le Ly Hayship’s
Child of War, Woman of Peace, beauty features as a sign of assimilation is
represented through clothing. When Hayship wears an
ao dai, a traditional Vietnamese
garment, at a grocery store, she encounters a clerk at the checkout counter,
looking at her with a “nasty stare” (110). Hayship reacts with guilt, thinking
that “maybe he had a brother or father” who was killed in the Vietnam War (110).
As seen through this encounter, clothing represents identity, and Hayship
wearing her ao dai represents her
Vietnamese identity, prompting the clerk to showcase his anger towards her. From
there on, she begins to wear American-style clothing as a means to assimilate to
a new country and be accepted (108). However, the new clothes do not satisfy
her, confessing that she “hated” her “body for being Vietnamese puny and not . .
. like the glossy American girls” (115). This perception of herself suggests
that clothing is a gateway for assimilation, and that wearing the wrong clothes
can lead to dissatisfaction of oneself in assimilating to the dominant culture.
Here, her desires for wanting the beauty from the dominant culture mirrors her
assimilation to the America. For Hayship, wearing clothes and desiring beauty
features from the dominant culture are a response for wanting to be accepted in
America and create a better life for her and her children. Although Hayship does
not assimilate and continues to hold on to her Vietnamese identity at the end of
the story, the symbols of clothing in the relation to assimilation indicates the
difference between immigrant narratives and minority narratives. Assimilation
tends to be seen more in immigrant narratives than in minority narratives.
Compared to immigrant narratives, there is more resistance in minority
narratives. As seen in her poem, “Blonde White Woman,” Patricia Smith shows
acceptance of her beauty, after a period of time in which she desired the
features of the dominant culture. Smith reveals that as a young girl, she had
wished she was “golden,” rubbing a “carnation pink Crayola” on the back of her
“hand” (21-25). This is similar to Hayship’s desires for the beauty features of
the dominant culture. However, Smith’s realization that she was “hurt[ing]
herself” with her “own beauty” suggests the divergence of assimilation in
immigrant narrative (21-34). At the poem’s end, Smith acknowledges her own
beauty: “Even crayons fail me now— I can find no color darker, / more beautiful,
than I am” (56). Here, she shows resistance to the beauty standards of the
dominant culture, indicating her acceptance of her African American identity.
Although not all immigrant narratives result in complete assimilation to the
dominant culture, Hayship shows signs of assimilation, while Smith ultimately
rejects them. This contrast of assimilation and resistance shows the difference
between the two narratives.
Similarly, clothing in minority narratives, such as Leslie Marmon Silko’s “The
Man to Send Rain Clouds,” differs in how it represents in immigrant narratives.
The American-style clothing, like the “brown flannel shirt” and the “Levi’s,”
that Leon and Ken dresses Teofilo in does not represent their assimilation to
another identity, but rather, acculturation to the dominant culture (206). We
see this in how Leon, and the other characters in the story, continue to
practice the traditional rituals for their Grandfather, despite the presence of
the missionaries in their community. For centuries, Christian missionaries have
held their presence in the Native American community, wanting to convert them
into Christianity (Galler). Because of their presence, many Native Americans
began to “selectively accept” particular “cultural components,” while still
practicing their native traditions (Galler). In Silko’s text, images of “corn
meal” and “pollen” are pictured alongside the “priest’s brown Franciscan robe”
(208). Pairing the traditional customs with the Franciscan robe, a symbol of the
dominant culture, implies that the people of the tribe is living coincide with
the dominant culture while maintaining their cultural identity. Thus, the
clothing in Silko’s text represents acculturation, not assimilation. This is
where immigrant and minority narratives diverge from one another: minority
narratives do not assimilate to the dominant American society. Although Hayship
still maintains her cultural identity, her desire for clothing and beauty
features that reflect the dominant culture suggests her path to assimilation.
Therefore, as Smith shows resistance of the dominant culture, and Leon (as well
as other members of his tribe) acculturate to the American society, minority
narratives do not show signs of assimilation compared to immigrant narratives.
Another symbol of assimilation in immigrant narratives is houses. For many,
owning a house is an indication of a better life, that one has earn the money to
purchase their own house. This symbol is a sign of assimilation to the dominant
American society, as seen in Dr. Rose Ihedigbo’s
Sandals in the Snow. When Ihedigbo’s
family moves from their “UMass university apartments” to a “two-story paradise”
in a suburban neighborhood, her daughter, Onyii recalls that she and her
brothers “struggled” with feeling “different or out of place” prior to their
move. (151). Onyii felt that the move “changed them,” stating that they were
“middle class” and “normal now” (151). Here, her recollection of the move to
their new house indicates their move to assimilation of the dominant American
culture. Ihedigbo’s son, Emeka, also recounts the significance of their move,
stating that owning their house is the “embodiment of the American dream” (151).
The implications of purchasing their own home aligns with the fourth stage of
the immigrant narrative: assimilation to the dominant culture (Objective 2c:
Course Home Page). Onyii’s thoughts of feeling “normal” and “middle class” after
the move also support the implications of assimilation. Like the representation
of Ihedigbos’ new house, the symbol of houses in immigrant narratives often
represent the movement towards the assimilation to the dominant American
culture. Houses, in immigrant narratives, are signs of hard work and sacrifice
that immigrants make in order to have a better life for them and their families.
By purchasing a home in a prominently white neighborhood, it indicates their
assimilation towards the dominant American culture.
The
symbol of houses in minority narratives differs from the representation of it in
immigrant narratives. As presented in Mei Mei Evan’s “Gussak,” the Alaska
Natives live in a “cluster of houses” that form the “village of Kigiak” (238).
They live remotely from the cities of Alaska, indicating that they are not
assimilated to the dominant American society. The health department workers in
Anchorage reveal this rejection of the dominant American culture to Lucy, a
nurse moving into the village, informing her that she will experience “culture
shock” (Evans 238). Here, the houses represent the sense of community of the
Alaska Natives in the story, still holding on to their culture. Although the
Alaska Natives acculturate to the dominant American culture, such as the
“magazines,” “soda can,” and “paper plate” found in Mercy’s (one of the Alaska
Natives that Lucy meets) home, they do not assimilate or lose their cultural
identity (Evan 241). Thus, as the house in Ihedigbo’s text indicates the
assimilation to the dominant American culture, the homes in Evan’s story
represents community and cultural identity. Similarly, Chystos’s “I Have Not
Signed a Treaty with the United States Government” mentions the homes of the
dominant American culture, writing that “they build funny homes” in which “no
one lives in but papers” (10). The homes, Chystos points out, are not places in
which families or people gather in a communal space, rather, they are occupied
by materialistic items such as paper. Thus, the houses in minority narratives,
such as the ones described in Chystos’s poem, do not represent assimilation to
the dominant culture, rather they represent resistance.
Although immigrant and minority narratives differ from one another in terms of
assimilation, not all immigrants fully assimilate. For example, the house in
Ihedigbo’s text represents the family’s assimilation to the dominant American
culture, however, Ihedigbo notes the importance of keeping in touch with their
Nigerian identity. As Ihedigbo points out, being an “other” in the American
society “made the need for fellowship among” the Nigerian community a necessity
for the family (159). Ihedigbo and her husband, Apollo, then voices the
importance of “keepin[ing] their children connected to their roots,” especially
when they are surrounded by the silent demand of “conformity” in order to be
“accepted” (159). Thus, the Ihedigbos’ reassertion of their Nigerian identity to
their children reflects the fifth stage of the immigrant narrative (Objective
2c: Course Home Page). Here, the Ihedigbo family do not assimilate, but rather
acculturate to American society, keeping their Nigerian roots. Therefore, not
all immigrant narratives result in assimilation. Some may acculturate to the
dominant culture, similar to minority narratives such as “Gussak” and “The Man
to Send Rain Clouds.” Therefore, there may be variations in which an individual
or a group assimilates or resists the dominant culture. Thus, immigrant and
minority narratives may differ in assimilation or resistance to the dominant
American culture, but both are similar in that, they may acculturate to it as
well.
Through an examination of immigrant and minority narratives, both differ in
assimilation to the dominant culture, yet they find similar ways to live in the
dominant American society. In immigrant narratives, an individual or a group
assimilates to the dominant culture through clothing, beauty features, and
houses, in efforts to improve their lives and cope with living in a new country.
Hayship shows this through her desire for beauty features of the dominant
culture. In minority narratives, a group or an individual, such as Chystos or
Patricia Smith, may not show assimilation to the dominant culture, but show
resistance to it. However, immigrant and minority narratives are also similar,
in that they both show acculturation to the dominant culture as a way to cope in
America. Leon and the Ihedigbo’s acculturate as a means to live coincide with
the dominant American society and still keep their cultural identities. With
this in mind, immigrant and minority narratives may have different experiences,
but they also have similar ways in which they live in the dominant American
society.
Understanding that immigrant and minority narratives have similarities, the
narratives of New World immigrants combine both assimilation and resistance of
the narratives respectively. The prevalent symbol of houses in the narratives of
New World immigrants show the blurring of lines between immigrant and minority
narratives. For New World immigrants, the move to America is voluntarily,
leaving their home countries in Latin American and the Caribbean to create a
better life for them and their families. This movement is similar to the
voluntary movement seen in immigrant narratives. Like immigrant narratives, the
symbols of houses in the narratives of New World immigrants also represent hard
work and the endeavor for a better life. This symbol of houses indicates a sign
of assimilation. In Reyna Grande’s The
Distance Between Us, her father, Natalio, works and lives in America in
efforts to build a house for his children in Iguala, Mexico. The house seemingly
represents his way of providing a better life for his children such as the
immigrant narrative, Sandals in the Snow.
However, the house that he builds is not his home. He announces that “even
though the house is finished, there are no jobs” in Iguala, leaving them into
“miserable poverty” if he stays (90). Here, his rejection of living in their new
house shows that he is assimilated to the dominant American culture. Instead of
staying at their new home, he decides to return to America, earning money in
pursuit for a better life for him and his children. Thus, the house that her
father builds symbolizes his assimilation to the American society. He works hard
to build the house in order to improve the lives of his children. This is
similar to the symbols of houses in Ihedigbo’s narrative, as the house in her
text represents a better life for her family. Thus, Grande’s
The Distance Between Us shows that
Mexican-American narratives, or narratives of New World immigrants, identify
with immigrant narratives.
Houses as a symbol of assimilation in immigrant narratives may also
represent differently in the narratives of New World immigrants. In Oscar
Hijuelos’s “Visitors,” Aunt Luisa’s house represents their Cuban heritage for
Hector. There, he remembers the “sunlight” beaming on Luisa’s street, his
grandmother “sitting nearby” the house, and the kitchen where he drinks “Cuban
milk” with its “Cuban magic potion” (Hijuelos 319). For Hector, the house
represents his rediscovery of his Cuban roots. He worries that when Luisa, her
daughters, and her son-in-law visits his family at their home, they will find
the “false life” that he “led” in America (Hijuelos 318). Because of his
worries, he tries to recall his memories of Cuba, as these memories would make
him more of a “Cuban man” (Hijuelos 318). Thus, his memories represents his
reassertion of his Cuban identity. His memories of Cuba are of Luisa’s house,
indicating that her house signifies the Cuban heritage he tries to connect to.
This reassertion of his Cuban identity reflects the fifth stage of the Stages of
Immigrant Narratives (Objective 2c: Course Home Page). Therefore, the symbol of
Luisa’s house in “Visitors” differs to the symbols of houses in immigrant
narratives. While the houses in Ihedigbo’s
Sandals in the Snow and Grande’s
The Distance Between Us represent the
assimilation towards the dominant American culture, Luisa’s house represents the
departure from it. Hijuelos’s “Visitors” thus identifies with minority
narratives through Hector’s reassertion of his Cuban heritage.
Similar to “Visitors,” the house in Gary Soto’s personal narrative, “Like
Mexicans,” differs from its meaning in immigrant narratives, representing more
of a minority narrative. In his narrative, Soto worries about marrying Carolyn,
his fiancé of Japanese descent, as his family asserts to marry a “Mexican girl”
of the same “social class” as them (303). It is not until he sees the home of
Carolyn’s parents that his concerns vanishes: “I felt better . . . when I got
out of the car and saw the house [with] the chipped paint, a cracked window,
[and] boards for a walk to the back door” (303). Here, Soto sees that the
environment that Carolyn grew up in is similar to his. He confirms this when he
notices the “newspapers piled in corners” and the dust on “lamp shades and
window sills,” stating that “these people are just like Mexicans” (304). The
house shows that Carolyn’s family is not assimilated to the dominant American
culture. While cleanliness often connects to the dominant culture, the house
distances it from that, resulting in a more lived-in home. The home of Carolyn’s
parents reassures Soto about marrying her. Thus, as the house does not represent
assimilation, similar to Luisa’s house in “Visitors,” Soto’s “Like Mexicans”
identifies with minority narratives. This difference shows that the narratives
of New World immigrants can be either immigrant narratives or minority
narratives.
The narratives of New World immigrants can identify with either
narrative, but they are not limited to one narrative over the other. Narratives
of New World immigrants can blur the boundaries of immigrant and minority
narratives, holding both aspects of them. Judith Ortiz Cofer’s personal
narrative, “Silent Dancing,” shows this combination of immigrant and minority
narratives through her parents’ thoughts on their apartment in Paterson. First,
her father does his best” in making their “assimilation painless” (182). He
prohibits the family to “form bonds with the place” or the “people who lived
there” maintaining that he will get them out of the neighborhood (181). Here,
Ortiz Cofer’s father shows signs of assimilation. He wants to move his family
away from their neighborhood, detaching them from the Puerto Rican community at
Paterson. Living spaces then, whether apartments or houses, are signs of
assimilation. For her father, his desires to move out shows his assimilation to
the dominant American culture. This symbol of their apartment is similar to the
symbol of houses in immigrant narratives in that, houses, or apartments,
represent the path to assimilation. While her father assimilates to the dominant
American culture, her mother still holds on to their Puerto Rican roots. Their
apartment was a “comfort” to her mother, as she hears voices in Spanish that
surround their place and remind her of their home country (181). For her mother,
she is still able to be in touch with their Puerto Rican roots by being in their
apartment in Paterson. Therefore, her mother reflects the minority narrative, as
she still holds on to her Puerto Rican identity and does not assimilate to the
dominant American culture. The narratives of New World immigrants thus encompass
both aspects of assimilation and preservation of cultural identity from
immigrant and minority narratives respectively.
We also see this combination in Paule Marshall’s personal narrative “The
Making of a Writer: From the Poets in the Kitchen.” In Marshall’s narrative, the
kitchen of her family’s home is the center for “gathering” of her mother and her
friends (84). It holds the conversations in which Marshall’s mother and her
friends express freely. Through the “warm safety of its walls,” they discuss
their “home,” Barbados, and their “adopted home,” America (85). They reminisce
about their home country, describing Barbados as the “Caribbean island in the
sun they loved but had to leave” (85). Here, their longing for Barbados shows
that they do not assimilate to the dominant American culture. Through their
longing for their home country, Marshall’s narrative relates to the cultural
preservation in minority narratives. At the same time, her narrative also share
aspects of immigrant narratives. Her mother and her friends point out that in
America, “you could at least see your way to make a dollar,” saving enough money
to buy “brown-stone houses” for their families (85). In past history, one of the
motivations for those in the Caribbean to move to America is to improve their
economic situation (Zong and Batalova). For Marshall’s mother and her friends,
purchasing their own house is a symbol of a better life for their children,
similar to the symbol of houses in immigrant narratives such as
Sandals in the Snow. Although the
house in Marshall’s narrative does not represent a full assimilation to the
American culture, implications of more American values, such as mobility, arise.
The houses in “The Making of a Writer” thus represent both immigrant and
minority narratives. Marshall’s home provides the space for her mother to retain
her cultural and ethnic identity, while trying to create a better life for her
family. We then see from the narratives of New World immigrants that immigrant
and minority narratives can share similar experiences with one another.
Despite the differences of assimilation and resistance in immigrant and
minority narratives, their experiences in living in America are similar. The
symbols of clothing, beauty features, and houses in immigrant and minority
narratives gauges the degrees of assimilation or resistance to the dominant
American culture. The narratives of New World immigrants, however, identifies
with either immigrant or minority narratives, or both at once. We see this blur
of boundaries through the motif that appears in many of the narratives: houses.
As seen in immigrant and minority narratives, houses in the narratives of New
World immigrants may represent assimilation (for example, Natalio in
The Distance Between Us), the
reassertion of cultural and ethnic identity (like Hector in “Visitors”) or the
combination of both meanings (such as Marshall’s mother and her friends in “The
Making of Writer”). Combining both narratives illuminate the similarities of the
immigrant and minority experiences in living in America. Although there are
different characteristics that identifies with either immigrant or minority
narratives, we are still able to relate to each other through our stories and
our experiences.
